The Midwest isn’t exactly known for big mountains… so how does it keep producing Olympians? From the early days of the Ishpeming Ski Club to athletes like Lindsey Vonn, Jessie Diggins, Nick Goepper, and Nick Baumgartner, the Midwest has quietly built one of the deepest talent pools in U.S. skiing and snowboarding. In this video, we break down the history, the culture, and the access that turned small hills and rope tows into an Olympic pipeline — plus highlight the Midwest athletes competing in the 2026 Games. More info + athlete tracker: midwestskiers.com/olympics

Before detachable lifts and six-packs, there was a banana conveyor. This is the story of how engineers built the first chairlift for Sun Valley Resort… and how it ultimately found a second life in the Midwest at Boyne Mountain Resort. 00:00 Intro 00:39 Why Build A Chairlift? 02:15 Bananas Spark the Inspiration 04:45 Building the World's First Chairlifts 06:40 The First Official Chairlift Passenger 08:15 Boyne Eyes the World's First Chairlift 10:05 Jim Curran's Legacy 10:37 Final Thoughts & Wrap

Today, we are looking at a ski resort just south of Traverse City, Crystal Mountain! I'll walk you through each of the runs and give you insights into the terrain, vibe, and some of the ski area's history. If you enjoy this series, subscribe so you can catch all future episodes! Learn more about Crystal Mountain here: https://www.crystalmountain.com/ 00:00 Intro 00:24 Basic Information about Crystal Mountain 05:41 Buck Quad 06:48 Shelburg’s Chute 09:18 Hoot Owl 11:03 Buckaroo 11:46 Buck 12:27 Gorge Glades 13:30 Gorge/Lower Gorge 14:21 Cheers To Lou 15:30 Tuck’s 16:28 Giggles 18:09 Crystal Clipper High Speed Quad 19:33 Main Street 21:07 Basin Street 22:20 Little Vincent 23:56 Abendroth’s Trail 25:56 Little Vincent/Abendroth Trees 26:39 Glacier Valley Glades 27:17 Loki Quad 28:17 Emmy 29:58 Short Cut 31:43 Interlochen Arts Ave. 32:59 Huggy Bear Hollow 34:12 Canyon 35:07 Wipeout 35:49 Loki 36:22 Thor 36:58 Cut Off 37:56 Nason’s Trail 39:32 Kay Blue 40:19 Ridge Triple 41:53 Wally’s Way 42:33 Norm’s Way 43:13 The Ridge 43:50 Dandy’s Delight 44:42 Pop’s Peak 45:37 Last Chance 46:30 Eden Hill 48:04 Shirks Slalom 48:38 Penny Lane 49:13 Tammy’s Turn/Rocky Road 50:06 Tammy’s Turn/E.I.O. 51:22 Tammy’s Turn/Megan’s Way 52:48 North Face Quad 54:08 Brady’s Run 55:02 Piper Pass 55:42 Weiss Way 56:21 Abbey Road 56:57 Rotary Run 57:38 BugaBoo 58:21 By George 59:19 Last Call Glades 59:57 Leo’s Legacy 1:02:45 Crystal Carpets 1:03:58 Beginner Zone 1:04:26 Things We Missed 1:05:42 Final Thoughts

Today, we are looking at a historic ski resort located in Harbor Springs, The Highlands! I'll walk you through each of the runs and give you insights into the terrain, vibe, and some of the ski area's history. If you enjoy this series, subscribe so you can catch all future episodes! Learn more about The Highlands here: https://www.highlandsharborsprings.com/ 00:00 Intro 00:23 Basic Information about The Highlands 05:22 C6 07:21 Sound of Skiing/South Fork 11:00 Sound of Skiing/Rebel Yell 14:25 Sound of Skiing/Rattlesnake Run/Valley View 17:26 Ridge Run/Valley View 20:26 Ridge Run/Tournament Pass/South Tournament 23:04 Ridge Run/Tournament Pass/North Tournament 25:16 Ridge Run/Tournament Pass/The Slot 27:32 Upper Camelot/South Camelot 29:35 Funland Terrain Park 31:34 Leprechaun/North Camelot 33:19 Rob Roy 35:04 Fun Cross Terrain Park 36:52 Olympic 38:22 Heather Express 40:16 Macgully/K-2 41:46 Heather 43:25 South Challenger 44:54 Challenger Lift 46:09 North Challenger 46:55 Couloir 47:56 Amy’s Lift 49:38 Amy’s Escape 51:04 Amy’s Run 52:21 Amy’s Terrain Park 53:46 Stephen’s Pass 56:55 Interconect 59:38 Ross Ravine/Stephen’s Pass 1:02:36 Lois Lane 1:05:06 North Peak Pass 1:07:51 Sugar & Spice/Lazy Way 1:09:41 North Peak Chair 1:11:18 Moor Trail/Lazy Way 1:13:09 Andrews’s Alley/Lazy Way 1:14:50 Bucky’s 1:16:04 The Gultch 1:17:13 Floradora 1:18:20 Black Diamond Glade 1:19:28 Leslie’s Quest 1:20:49 Renate’s Express 1:21:15 Boardwalk 1:21:40 Things We Missed 1:24:12 Final Thoughts

Today, we are looking at ski area right off of the Missisippi River - Mt. La Crosse! I'll walk you through each of the runs and give you insights into the terrain, vibe, and some of the ski area's history. If you enjoy this series, subscribe so you can catch all future episodes! Learn more about Mt. La Crosse here: https://mtlacrosse.com/ 00:00 Intro 00:22 Basic Informatcion about Mt. La Crosse 05:00 St. Benard Room Bar 06:42 Helke's Haul 07:37 Applebottom Catwalk/Applebottom Loop 09:09 Applebottom/First Kiss 10:37 Ahna’s Drive/First Kiss 11:46 Area 23 Terrain Park 12:27 Cobbies Crossing 13:55 Mileaway/Midway 15:30 Boneyard 16:26 Salvation 18:08 Damnation 19:32 Thunderation/Rainy Day 21:02 Bluff Runner 21:47 White House/Spotlight 22:24 Thanks L.P. 23:03 Quits Catwalk/Old 24:12 Quits Catwalk/Call It Quits 25:17 Moving Carpet 25:52 School Yard 26:15 Bottoms Up 26:32 Things We Missed 27:19 Final Thoughts

Today, we are looking at ski area just south of Grand Rapids - Bitttersweet! I'll walk you through each of the runs and give you insights into the terrain, vibe, and some of the ski area's history. If you enjoy this series, subscribe so you can catch all future episodes! Learn more about Bittersweet here: https://skibittersweet.com/ 00:00 Intro 00:22 Basic Information about Bittersweet 03:27 Snowflake Belt 03:49 Babies Breath 03:57 Blizzard Belt 04:58 Sweet Pea 05:25 Sweet Pea Lift 06:49 Sweet Pea (Top To Bottom) 07:42 Apple Blossom Rope 07:57 Apple Blossom 08:19 Birch 09:08 Chickory Lift 10:41 Oak/Creeping Myrtle 11:51 Creeping Myrtle 12:52 Juniper 14:05 Snowflyer Lift 15:25 Chickory 16:35 Columbine 17:38 Snowberry 18:39 Snowberry/Sassafras/Wild Rose 19:44 Honeysuckle/Poison Ivy 20:58 Honeysuckle/Thistle 22:03 Hawthorne Lift 23:30 Hawthorne 24:14 Choke Cherry/Sumac 25:04 Sequoia/Sumac 26:16 Things We Missed 27:11 Final Thoughts